Robin S.C. Griffin
J WyniaWhen you hear media blaming the striking rail workers for being the ones that threatened the economy, that's not a neutral reporting. The railroad companies were willing to threaten the economy because they wanted to be able to fire people for calling in sick or going to the doctor. Painting the strikers as the irresponsible ones is propaganda.
Riley S. Faelan@jwynia: Note the unstated assumption that the railroad workers can be readily replaced, but somehow, the railroad owners can't. Are there really no richhouses filled to the brim with suffering people willing to own a railroad in return for a bowl of gruel if the current ones were to be fired?
Paul Briley 🇪🇺
Sonya Steele@jwynia Has the media pressed the companies as to why they want rail workers to work while they're sick?
@sonyasteele Nope. Because American media only rarely presses corporations about anything. Corporations in the old, entrenched industries of the robber barons are most immune to questioning.
Aurora Wildey@jwynia Most politicians do not know what life and working conditions are like for the average rail worker. My grandfather retired from the railroad after 40+ years and several company changes. He was fortunate that it was during a time when they had good wages and union-won protections in place. Unfortunately, most rail workers no longer have that. Union-busting tactics and wages that have not kept up with inflation have made far worse working conditions. Longer hours, less pay.
Statmonkey 🙊@jwynia Wouldn't it be nice to hear it reported this way in real time instead of "revealed" by some historian in 20 years?
@statmonkey Yeah, it's so painful to see and know how history is going to treat these things and see everything around you continue with the delusion anyway.
WeAre Rosie@jwynia @statmonkey it's exhausting and I barely want to get out of bed.
Tofu Golem@jwynia
The American media has completely failed in its function as the Fourth Estate.
They are not watchdogs on the powerful, but their servants. It's been this way for a long time.
@tofugolem @jwynia
American media aren't British so if course 4th estate practically doesn't exist in UK. There're @BylineTimes etc & @DoubleDownNews But they're minnows compared to American CONglomerates.
We're dished up American fantasy. Never facts. And Tories & @UKLabour have both been bought by American media too.
heliumlake@jwynia Finally some refreshing takes. I was beginning to think I was the only one in this country who is pro-worker and pro-union.
ImaAlright@jwynia truth. Obvious and not sure why the RR companies aren’t being held responsible
🧙♂️ Julian Invictus ☕@imaalright @jwynia we are so so so propagandized in the US to be anti-Worker.
esseffggg@jwynia right on !!!
@jwynia well when you consider the ones who own the railroads also own the media, it makes sense.
once was@jwynia I'm so angry about this. The government is very worried about workers striking since more and more are (Starbuxs....) but this shouldn't be legal to bind people to a contract that sucks. Once again, we see that the US is run by oligarchs.
David Wood@jwynia in this situation I ask myself if I would be happy that the driver of my train had visual disturbance from a migraine, but was driving despite being unable to properly see the signals, simply because he couldn’t afford to lose a days salary. Answer NO.
Would I lose a moment sleep if the train operator had to reduce the dividend from 50p per pound to 49p per pound to keep me safe. Answer also NO
Would I lose a moment sleep if the train operator had to reduce the dividend from 50p per pound to 49p per pound to keep me safe. Answer also NO
@idlebee yeah, this situation with the American railroad workers has been brewing for several years. Years when BNSF alone reported $8 billion+ in profit each of the last 3 years. They had the resources to address this before it got to a strike.
hiding from plagues ☣️♿@jwynia are they striking anyway? I hope so
@smollestbunny It looks like it's a distinct possibility. The fact that sick days still wasn't addressed, which was one of the core problems as I understand it gives them a strong reason to want to.
@jwynia cheering for them. If they strike and strike hard there is a high possibility it might kick off a revolution 🤞
hapbt@jwynia well until they send the national guard in to break the strike we've still technically made progress?
have we?
have we?
@hapbt Being forced to accept a deal that doesn't include the sick leave isn't what those workers are likely to call progress. It quite literally forces them to accept the sacrifice of their health in service to corporations reporting billions in profit. They're throwing a bit of cash to their families as compensation. And the whole country tells them to get back to work so Christmas shopping isn't disturbed.
@hapbt But, this same thing is playing out in hospitals, schools, Starbucks, Amazon warehouses, John Deere factories, potato chip factories, etc. across the country right now.
And in many cases, actually walking away means moving to a new town because there aren't that many other jobs nearby. Capitalists are using those aspects of the situations to apply leverage to keep their profits.